Controllable gliding attachment for bombs



July 1, 1947. R. FINK ET AL 2,423,090

CONTROLLABLE GLIDING ATTACHMENT FOR BOMBS Filed Aug. 25, 1943 lArvIN 70g;-

650266 (4 fia44o/v4/v 18 004; F/Nk 67/424155 4 fan/4. as

Patented .luly l, 194

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CONTROLLA'BLE GLIDING A'IIAGHMENT 'FOR BOIWBS Rudolph Fink and George V. Holloman, Fairfield, and Charles L. Paulus, Dayton, Ohio Application August 25;, 1943,-Serial No. 499,890 -5 Claims. (01.,244-46) (Granted under the act .of .March :3, v1883, as

amended April-3 0, 1928.; 370 O. G. 757) 2 The invention described herein may be manusecuring means thereon being shown in .do'tted factured and used by or for the Government for line. governmental purposes, without the payment to Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional view taken onthe us of any royalty thereon. line 3-3 in Fig. 2.

Our invention relates to improvements in glide 5 Referring .to the drawing, A indicates a supibombs, and more particularly, to the employment porting structurein the form of a relatively thin,

of detachable gliding means adapted to be serectangular frame, composed of longitudinal cured to standard size bombs for converting the members or booms l-l, secured together adsame into gliding bombs, and has for one of its Jacent the front .ends by the cross member 2.

objects, the provision of an inexpensive, com- Across member is secured to the rear-ends ofthe pact, and readily storable gliding structure which boom member l, as se .i i 1 of th drawmay easily and quickly be assembled, and se- 'ihgs, and is of a relatively thin section and concured to a standard aircraft bomb. stitutes a horizontal stabilizer member 3.

Another object is to provide a gliding struc- The stabilizer 3 extends laterally beyond the ture for bombs which is adapted to be made in sides of boom.members l and has secured thereto units, such as-a, wing assembly, and a combined the vertical rudder members 4. An adjustable tail and bomb supporting structure, including horizontal rudder 5 is secured at 6 to the-stabiflight control features, so that the same might lizer-members-3 and extends between the two vernot only be more economically manufactured, atical-rudders 4. but may be more readily and conveniently packed Depending from the lower face of the frame A, for shipment and storage, and adapted to be as Seen in Fi 2 d 3 are b Sec r quickly assembled for use, and easily secured to means i, consisting of straps or bands adapted thebomb, without modification of the bomb or its to be clamped around a standard bomb, as indisupporting structure. cated at8. In order to make the device adapt- A further object is the arrangement of the able for bombs of different sizes o weights, we gliding structure with respect to the Supportprovide adjusting means, as indicated at 9, to ing means on the side of a standard bomb and the vary the length of the strap members 1. A second releasable connections for securing the bomb to cross member ID is secured to theboom members the bombing plane so t t gliding surface I intermediatethe ends of the frame A, and this or wing member of the attachment will lie bego cross member and the cross member 2 at the tween the bomb and the'lower surface of the wing forward portion of said frame are recessed, as at of the bombing plane when the bomb is secured 'l I, to receive the cylindricalsurface of the bomb. in the usual manner, and will be close to said Referring generally to the bomb structure, latter surface. :which isconventional, this consists of an elon- Astill further object is the provision, in a bomb gated body, somewhat tapered at its front and supporting glider structure, .of dirigible flight rear-ends, with a cylindricalintermedial portion control members or surfaces, which may be having's pp r ns members .52 projectin r operated by radiant energy such as light waves, from, and designed to engage the customary bomb radiant heat or infra-red rays, ultra-violet Waves, ase Supports OI brackets 13 on the under electro-magnetic waves, sound waves, or other 40 side of the wing or other supporting structure remote control radio frequency operated-means, 0f the plane.

or by automatic control operating devices The gliding surface for the bomb consists of a mounted on the bomb gliding attachment and unitary Win m m r detachably secured to arranged to controlthe glide of the bomb to a the upper 'face of'theframeA opposite the bomb target after release from an aircraft. securing means 1. This wing unit is provided Other and further objects and advantages of Withaileron-members l'5 pivotally securedto the the invention will appear in the following specitrailing edge of the wing in a somewhat confication, reference being had to the accompany- .ventional manner. ing drawing, in which For the purpose of controlling the glid of the Fig. 1 is a top plan View with our improved glidbombjfrom its released position to a target, we ing attachment showing the samesecured to a provide a plurality of radiant energy controlled standard or conventionalbomb. devices indicated diagrammatically by t6, t1 Fig. 2 is a side elevation ofthestructure shown and -:|;8; These devices may be any well-known in Fig. 1, a portion of theaircraftsupporting conventional type .such asdisclosed in Sperry structureor wing for the bombaudthebomb Patent 1,792,537.01 Hammond :Patent 1,818,708

and are connected to any suitable conventional antenna or other radiant energy receiving means on the gliding structure, such as indicated at E9 in the drawing. The control devices I5 and I8 are operatively connected by flexible connectors 20 and 2! to the arms 22 and 23 on the horizontal rudde member 5.

The conventional radio control device if, also mounted on the frame unit of the gliding structure, when energized, operates an actuating rod [1' connected to an arm l?" on a shaft 20 journaled longitudinally in said structure. Suitable arms 23 and 25 extend in opposite directions from the ends of the shaft 20, .and have link members 26 and 21 pivoted thereto. The other ends of the link members 26 and 21 are connected to arms 28 and 29 on the ailerons l5. Impulses of proper frequency, which are received by the control device 2?, cause longitudinal movement of the rod [1' in one direction or the other and corresponding stabilizing control movements of the ailerons 15.

The conventional radio controlled surface actuating control devices l6, l1 and I8 are carried by the supporting frame structure A and may preferably be mounted on the shelf or cross member IE], intermediate the front and rear ends of said frame.

By constructing our gliding attachments in two units, namely, the supporting frame unit structure A and the gliding wing unit structure B, a plurality of the gliding attachments may be shipped with groups of these two elements detached and stacked, and each pair of the units may -be readily assembled in the field by bolting the wing structure to the upper face of the supporting frame structure A in any conventional manner, as by bolt fasteners 30, carried in brackets 3|, which are secured to the lower face of the wing structure and pass through the longitudinal boom members i.

In the embodiment of our invention, as seen in the drawings, the wing unit member B is provided with an opening 32 therethrough to permit passage of the rear bomb support !2 therethrough.

In constructing the gliding attachment, the wing unit B is preferably made of thin, light material, such as plywood, and has sufficient supporting area and proper airfoil section adaptable for gliding purposes in accordance with the weight of the largest bomb used. The unitary supporting frame A is also preferably made of wood o other inexpensive material, including the longitudinal boom members ll while the bomb engaging and securing strap members 'i-1 are preferably of thin fiat metal and are connected to the boom members i.

In the application of the attachment to a bomb, the wing unit B is first secured to the supporting frame unit A, and then placed on top of the bomb with the hangers or supporting members l2 projecting from the bomb extending upwardly intermediate the boom members I, the rear hanger l2 passing through the aperture 32 in the wing. The strap members 'l7 may then be passed around the bomb and secured together by any suitable means such as by bolts 33. The bomb and its attached gliding structure may now be elevated into engaging position and connected to the bomb release brackets I3 on the plane.

It should be observed from the drawings that the gliding wing unit structure for the bomb, when in position, lies between the bomb and the lower surface of the wing or other bomb supporting structure of the plane, and close to the latter, while the supporting frame A for the gliding attachment is secured to the bomb on one side thereof, below the gliding wing unit for the attachment. When the bomb is released at a considerable elevation, its glide angle can be determined and controlled so that it can be accurately directed by any conventional radiant energy operated sending apparatus to the target, regardless of the shifting of the target in an attempt to avoid the bcmbs contact therewith.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a dirigible gliding attachment, for a conventional aircraft bomb having a supporting means projecting laterally from one side of the bomb, adapted to be releasably secured to an aircraft for release from an elevated position, said attachment comprising a rigid substantially rectangular flat frame-like structure composed of a pair of elongated spaced side by side frame members connected together by cross-frame members at their front and rear ends, one of said cross-frame members having adjustable glide control surfaces thereon, strap members depending from the lower side of the frame-like structure, adapted to be clamped around said bomb to support the bomb between the elon gated spaced side frame members during the flight, with the bomb positioned in engagement with said cross-frame members and the laterally projecting supporting means on the bomb disposed between the two elongated side frame members, a unitary gliding airfoil wing structure adapted to be secured to said frame-like structure opposite to one of said supporting strap members, said wing structure having an opening therethrough for receiving said bomb supporting means therethrough, and means for adjusting the glide control surfaces carried by said frame-like structure.

2. In a dirigible gliding attachment for a conventional aircraft bomb having a plurality of supporting means projecting laterally from one side of the bomb in longitudinally-spaced relation to each other and adapted to be releasably secured to an aircraft for release from an elevated position, said attachment comprising a rigid substantially rectangular flat frame-like structure composed of a pair of elongated spaced side by side frame members connected together by crossframe members at their front and rear ends, one of said cross-frame members having adjustable glide control surfaces thereon, strap members depending from the lower side of the frame-like structure and connected to each of the spaced side by side frame members, adapted to be clamped around said bomb to support the bomb between the two elongated spaced side frame members during flight, with the bomb positioned in engagement with at least one of said crossframe members, and the laterally projecting supporting means on the bomb projecting through the frame-like structure between the two elongated side frame members, a unitary gliding air foil wing structure adapted to be secured to the spaced side by side frame members of said framelike structure opposite one of the bomb securing strap members, said wing structure having an opening therethrough for receiving one of said bomb supporting means therethrough, and means for adjusting the glide control surfaces carried by such frame-like structure.

3. A gliding attachment for a conventional aircraft bomb which is designed to be suspended. in a substantially horizontal position from an airplane by longitudinally spaced hangers projecting laterally from the side of the bomb, said attachment including a flat elongated frame composed of laterally spaced side by side boom members, cross members secured to the spaced boom members between the same in spaced relation to each other at the forward portions of the boom members, bomb clamping means depending from the lower sides of the boom members adjacent the cross members for clamping and seating the bomb rigidly against said cross frame members with the hangers of the bomb extending through the space between the boom members to points above the upper sides thereof, a connecting glide angle determining member secured across the rear ends of the boom members having an adjustable flight control surface thereon for determining the glide path of the attachment when released from the airplane, means on the said frame and connected to the flight control surface for adjusting said flight control surfaces to change the glide path of the attachment, an elongated glide wing structure rigidly secured transversely across the upper sides of the boom members, above the bomb clamping means, on the side of the frame opposite from the bomb clamping means, whereby the aircraft bomb may be clamped rigidly against said cross members with the longitudinal axis of the bomb in a Vertical plane midway between the boom members and in a horizontal plane substantially parallel to the boom members with the spaced hangers from the bomb projecting upwardly through the flat elongated frame to points beyond the upper surface of the transverse glide wing structure, for suspending the bomb with the gliding attachment mounted thereon, to the bomb shackles of the aircraft.

4. A gliding attachment for standard aircraft bombs comprising a pair of elongated boom members disposed in horizontally spaced side by side relation having bomb supporting portions at their front end portions, cross members disposed between the boom members, in spaced relation to each other, at the front end portions of the boom members, rigidly securing the boom members together at the bomb supporting portions thereof, said boom members extending rearwardly, materially, beyond said bomb supporting portions, a transverse glide-control member connecting the rear ends of the boom members together having a glide control surface, to determine the glide path of the attachment and the bomb carried thereby, a glide wing structure secured transversely across said boom members above said bomb supporting portions, intermediate the spaced cross members, longitudinally spaced bomb clamping band members extending transversely between the boom members, each band member having its opposite ends secured to the boom members at the bomb supporting portions thereof for rigidly clamping the conventional aircraft bomb against said cross members with the longitudinal axis of the bomb disposed in substantially parallel relation to the boom members.

5. A gliding attachment for standard aircraft bombs comprising a pair of elongated boom members disposed in horizontally spaced side by side relation having bomb supporting portions at their front end portions, cross members disposed in spaced relation to each other, between the front end portions of the boom members, to rigidly secure the boom members to each other at the bomb supporting portions of the boom members, said boom members extending rearward, materially, beyond said bomb supporting portions, a transverse connecting member rigidly securing the rear ends of the boom members to each other, an adjustable glide anglev determining member thereon for determining the glide path of the attachment and the bomb carried thereby, a glide wing structure secured transversely across both boom members at longitudinally spaced points on said bomb supporting portions of the boom members, at least one of said cross members having the lower side thereof, facing away from said glide wing structure, shaped to substantially conform to the cross-sectional contour of the bomb, at the point of contact of the bomb with the cross member when the bomb is secured to the attachment, and a bomb encircling and clamping band for the bomb having each end secured to one of the boom members at said bomb supporting portion of the boom members and projecting laterally from said boom member in a direction away from said glide wing structure, for rigidly clamping the conventional aircraft bomb against said cross members with the contacting side of the bomb disposed in the bomb conforming portion of the aforesaid cross member.

RUDOLPH FINK. GEORGE V. HOLLOMAN. CHARLES L. PAULUS.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,207,492 Buck Dec. 5, 1916 1,301,083 Wolfard Apr. 15, 1919 1,792,937 Sperry Feb. 17, 1931 1,818,708 Hammond Aug. 11, 1931 1,508,317 Crocco et al. Sept. 9, 1924 2,339,011 Gurney Jan. 11, 1944 2,147,550 Sabathe Feb. 14, 1939 2,075,042 Knerr Mar, 30, 1937 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 676,083 France Nov, 18, 1929 

